Life-saving vessel.



J. DAVIS.

LIFE SAVING VESSEL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 13,1912.

I Patented 26b. 4, 1913. $6 5 5 4| 32 H1q 1 37 64- 20 2.549% l4 I5 7 lo W H IHH I HHHHHHI' WITNESSES INVE/VTQR dud s o n Dav: 3

2 M C 00 M MW amwvo ATTORNEYS COLUMBIA PLANCiRAPH c0.. WASHINGTON, n. c.

JUDSON DAVIS, OF EAST ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

LIFE-SAVING VESSEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 13, 1912.

Patented Feb. at, 1913.

Serial No. 709,202.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JUnsoN DAVlS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of East Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Life-Saving Vessel, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to life-saving ves sels, and has reference more particularly to a device of this class used for saving life at sea in cases of shipwreck, or on like occasions, and comprising a floatable casing adapted to hold the person to be saved, and having an air inlet valve which is open under predetermined conditions only, such that water will be prevented from entering the vessel.

The object of the invention is to provide a life-saving vessel for use in connection with steamships or the like, by means of which a person can be saved in case -of shipwreck or on similar occasions, in which the person to 'be saved can remain safe and comfortable despite the severest storms, in which the person can be freely supplied with pure air, which can be emptied of vitiated air, in which water inadvertently entering can be'ejected when necessary, which will not readily be injured by rocks or other floating obstacles, in which the passenger is carried safely with respect to sharks and the like, and in which means are provided to prevent the clogging of the air inlet valve by the freezing of water about the same.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of an embodiment of my invention showing a person therein; Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the device; Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section showing a detail of the air inlet valve; and Fig. 4 is an inverted plan view, partly in section, of the air inlet valve.

Before proceeding to a more detailed ex-, planation of my invention, it should be clearly understood that while the device is intended primarily to replace the lifeboats ordinarily employed to-day, or to act as auxiliaries thereto, it can also be used under other circumstances, as a life-saving vessel in case of shipwreck, or on other occasions. While I have shown, for example, a vessel designed to carry but one passenger, it mustbe remembered that the device can be constructed in different sizes and can be proportioned to hold more than one person. The device can be fashioned from any suitable material, preferably of sheet metal of sufiicient strength for the purpose. If so desired, in order to reduce the weight of the apparatus, aluminum can be employed.

Certain of the details of construction shown for example herewith form no part of the invention and can be varied in accordance with the special conditions or individual preference without departing from the essence of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, I have shown for example a life-saving vessel having a substantially cylindrical body 10, provided with flanged heads 11 and 12 closing the ends thereof and riveted or otherwise secured thereto in any manner adapted for the purpose. The vessel or casing has a substantially central rectangular opening 13 constituting an entrance and provided with a suitably formed door 1st movably mounted in place by means of hinges 15, and provided with a readily manipulated catch or lock 16, which can be operated from the inside or outside of the casing. The latter has about the opening 13 a rim 17 within which the door 14 fits snugly. The latter has an opening .18 surrounded by a rim 19 and constitutes an auxiliary entrance. It has an auxiliary closure 20 movably mounted in position by .means of hinges 21, and is likewise provided with a catch or look 22 similar to the element 16. Within the casing and fitting tightly against the walls thereof are strengthening hoops 23, of wood or metal, and located adjacent to the ends of the inlet opening 13, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1.

A couch or body support 24 is positioned within the casing at the bottom thereof, being mounted upon carriers conforming in shape to the lower portion of the casing and having cross bars 26 upon which the couch directly rests. The latter consists of longitudinal. bars 27 having a mattress or of which it is secured in place.

cushion 28 resting thereon. It is intended for the: reception of the person to be saved, and has associated therewith a number of straps 29 having buckles 30 and serving for the purpose of securely holding the passenger in position, so that he will not be in jured despite violent pitching or rocking of the vessel due to roughness of the water. The casing has a sight opening 31 located above the couch and preferably near the head end thereof. The opening has surrounding it an undercut flange 32 in which is received and held a window glass 33 of such strength that it cannot be readily broken. The window provides for the entrance of light into the casing, and also, under certain circumstances, will permit the occupant to look out of the vessel.

In order to provide for a supply of pure air, the casing has an air inlet opening 34 at which is mounted an inlet pipe 35 of U-sha-pe, having the end registering with the opening provided with a flange 36 by means The free end of the arm of the U-shaped pipe is shorter than that mounted at the opening 34 and likewise has a flange 37. A valve is provided to control the entrance of air into the casing and consistsof two plates 38 and 39 secured together and to the flange 37 over the opening at the free end of the inlet pipe, by means of bolts 40. The inner plate 38 has a rounded offset 41 constituting a recess and is provided with an inlet opening 42. The plate 39 has a rounded socket recess 4L3 registering with the socket recess of the other plate and forming with the same a substantially circular socket in which is received a ball valve member 44 having a Y-shaped passage 4.5 therethrough. The outer plate 39 has four spaced and oppositely disposed lugs l6 which assist in holding the ball valve member movably in position. The latter has associated therewith a downwardly extending stem 4.7 having at the end a weight 4-8. The lugs 46 are so pro-- portioned and disposed that the stem 47 can swing in four directions, moving with it the ball valve. member 44. lVhen the air pipe 35 is in a normal position, that is, vertical, the ball valve member is so disposed that the passage 45 effects communication between the outer air and the inlet 42, the latter being of course, open tothe interior of the pipe 35 and thus to the interior of the casing. When the valve stem swings to one side or the other, the ball valve member moves correspondingly and the inlet valve is thereby closed. Consequently, if the vessel rolls or pitches, so that there is danger of water entering through the inlet, the valve automatically closes and prevents this.

I provide means for ejecting from the casing any water which may inadvertently enter therein. This device consists of a pump 49 of any suitable construction (not shown in detail), having an outlet 50 provided with a one-way valve and terminating at an outlet opening 51 of the casing. The pump has its piston 52 provided with a handle so that the occupant of the vessel can readily manipulate the pump. The pump inlet pipe 54 extends to the bottom of the casing and has an inlet head through which any water in the casing can be drawn into the pump and ejected from the same through the outlet opening 51.. It will be noted that the pump is so disposed that the occupant of the vessel can readily operate it while in a recumbent position upon the couch. I also provide means for freeing the casing from the vitiated air therein. This device consists of an air pump 55 having a valve outlet 56 communicating with an outlet opening 57 of the casing. The pump has a piston rod 58 provided'with a handle 59, by means of which it can be operated. A brace rod 60, secured to the pump cylinder and to the casing, assists inmounting the pump in place. This device, too, is so disposed that it can be readily operated by the passenger while he is in a recumbent position in the vessel.

In order to insure the proper operation of the air inlet valve, even in case of low temperature such that water might freeze about the valve, I provide in the vessel a suitable boiler 61 having a furnace 62 adapted for the burning of liquid or other fuel requiring little storage space. The boiler is positioned upon a suitable base 63 within the casing at the foot end of, the couch. A steam outlet pipe 64 extends from the top of the boiler into the air inlet pipe 35, and

is held within the same by means of suitable brackets 65. It has an escape nozzle 66 close to the inlet valve so that a jet of steam from the nozzle can be directed. against the valve and through the passages thereof to melt any ice which may have accumulated therein or about the valve, and thus maintain the same in normal operative condition. a

To minimize the possibility of injury to the vessel by contact with rocks or floating obstacles, I employ a cushion or guard 67, fashioned from any suitable resilient material, such as rubber or the like. This cushion is positioned about-the lower portion of the casing and has upwardly disposed ends 68 arranged against the heads of the casing. The cushion is preferably so shaped that it conforms to the casing and thus does not need to be attached there.- to in any particular manner.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A life-saving vessel comprising a floatable, normally closed casing, a couch in said casing for the passengers, having means thereto to securely maintain a passenger on said couch, and air and Water pumps for ejecting vitiated air and liquid from said casing, manually operated by the person on the couch.

2. A life-saving vessel, comprising a floatable normally sealed casing, and an air inlet valve for said casing, said valve comprising a movable ball valve vmember having a passage therethrough, a "journal for said valve member having guiding means, and a Weight associated with said valve member and engaging said guiding means in said journal tending to maintain said valve memher in a normal position such that said passage is open.

3. In a life-saving vessel, an air inlet valve, and a boiler Within said vessel and having means for directing a jet of steam to said valve.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JUDSON DAVIS.

Vitnesses:

FLORA A. LANE, ANNA M. LANE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

